Mechanical ticket-taker



W. J. HARVIE.

MECHANICAL TICKET TAKER.

APPLICATION FILED APR-10.19I9.

11335363. I V Patented Apr. 6,1920.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

fl TORNE x W. J. HARVIE.

MECHANICAL TICKET TAKER.

APPLICATION FILED AER. 1-9. 1919.

1,335,963. Patented Apr. 6,1920.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. If,

INVENTOR -BY q 'LMMW' WILLIAM J. HnnvrE, or AUBURN, new YORK.

MECHANICAL TICKET-TAKEE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 6, 1920.

Application filed April 10, 1919. Serial No. 288,927.

To all whom z'tmay concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. HARVIE, a citizen of the United States of America, and resident of Auburn, in the county of Cayuga, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements. in Mechanical Ticket-Takers, of which-the fol lowing, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description. I V

This invention relatesto certain improve ments in mechanical ticket takers adapted to be installed in street cars and any other public places where fares and admissions are paid by tickets.

The main object is, to provide simple and efficient mechanical means for taking the individual tickets directly from the patrons and depositing them or portions thereof in a canceled conditionbeyond the control of the conductor or other attendant so as to reduce to a minimum the liabilityof resale or reuse of such tickets.

Another object is to provide'the same apparatus with means whereby the conductor or attendant may atany time ascertain the total number and value of the tickets" so deposited.

A further object is to prevent the withdrawal of any ticket after its initial entry into the machine without such mutilation thereof as would amount to a cancellation.

Other objects and uses relating to the specific parts of the machine will be brought out in the following description In the drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mechanical ticket taker embodying the various features of my invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are vertical sectional views taken respectively on lines -22 and -3-3 Fig, 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view through the upper portion of the ma,- chine taken in the plane of line l-co-Fig,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the upper portionv of the machine taken on line 5-7-75 Fig. 1.

6 is a detail sectional view taken a Plane Q1 line 6 6 Fig- As illustrated, the apparatus comprises a substantially rectangular metal case -1 composed of front, rear, opposite sides and bottom, and .topwalls permanently united at the corners to form a unitary structure capable of housing and protecting the interior mechanism and tickets which may be deposited thereinagainst malicious interfer ence therewith.

The upper portion of the front wall of the case 1' is provided with a laterally elongated ticket inlet 2--, the mouth of which is preferably flared vertically to allow the ticket to be more easily inserted therein.

The lower portion of the case is divided from the upper portion by a horizontal partition '3- extending from side to side and rearwardly from the front wall of the case to form lower and upper compartments --l and 5 which are connected by an upright chute 6-- leading from approximately the horizontal plane of the inlet 2- in the upper chamber to the upper portion of the lower chamber just at the rear of the partition -3 as shown-more clearly in Fig. 2, said chute being rigidly secured to the rear wall of the casing 1 for conducting the tickets from the upper to the lower compartment.

This chute 6- is preferably divided intermediate its sides by a vertical partition -7- to form separate conductors for different parts of the tickets which are severed in transit from the inlet to the chutein a manner hereinafter described.

Suitable drawers 8 and --9 are mounted one above the other within the lower compartment 4- to move laterally through a suitable opening in one and the same side of the case, the drawer 8- being of considerable less depth horizontally than the drawer 9 and normally covers the outer half of the last named drawer to register with one of the conduits of the chute -6, while the inner half of the lower drawer {9 is adapted to register with the other conduit of the same chute, whereby portions of the ticket passing into the conduit as 6- will enter the drawer 8:; hi e oth enises Passing the @91 duit as 6 will pass into the lower drawer 9 at the inner side of the upper drawer -8.

The drawer 8 may be opened at the willof the conductor, and may, therefore, be termed the conductors drawer, while the lower drawer 9- is locked by a special key carried by an inspector, and may, therefore, be termed the inspectors drawer.

A partition -10-- between the two drawers -8 and 9 and an extension of the partition -7- serve to prevent access to the lower drawer when the upper one is removed or withdrawn.

Suitable means are provided for auto matically feeding the tickets inserted in the inlet -'2 to the chute -6, and for mutilating or dividing said tickets in transit from the inlet to the chute, and for this purpose is provided front and rear pairs of parallel horizontal shafts -1l and -12 having their ends j ournaled in suitable bearings -13 on opposite sides of the case 1-, those of each pair being disposed substantially equal distances above and below the horizontal plane of the inlet ---2- as shown more clearly in Fig. 5.

A roller 14lpreferably of soft rubber or equivalent material is secured to the intermediate portion of the lower shaft 11- in alinement with the inlet 2 and having its upper face in approximately the same horizontal plane as said inlet.

A pair of tooth wheels -15 are secured in axially spaced relation to the intermediate portion of the shaft -11- so that their teeth will travel in contact with the periphery of the roller --14- which latter is held against axial movement by clamping collars --16.

The tooth wheels 15 are held against axial movement by opposite end and intermediate collars -17- of the corresponding shaft 11-, and serve to prevent withdrawal of a ticket after being engaged thereby without such mutilation as would amount to cancellation.

The shafts 1l with their respective rollers and tooth wheels may be termed the feed rolls the meeting faces of which are arranged in close proximity to the inner end of the inlet 2- so as to engage and feed the ticket inwardly into the case immedi= ately upon its insertion through the inlet.

A pair of cutting and feeding rolls 19 are secured to the intermediate portions of the shafts -12 so as to meet in substantially the same horizontal plane as that of the inlet 2 and meeting faces of the primary feeding rolls previously described, and are provided with'circular cutting edges 20 and 20 shearing with each other for severing the tickets, each ticket into two parts, said shearing edges being alined with the partition -7 between the conduits 6 and 6- so that one part of the ticket will be delivered to the conduit 6-, and the other part to the conduit 6" for deposit into their respective drawers -8- and -9, it being understood that the two parts of each ticket will be provided with characters by which either may be identified by the other as a part of the original ticket.

It is now evident that the primary and secondary feeding rollers together with the inlet 2 and partition -7 are arranged in practically the same transverse plane from front to rear of theicase with the central portion of said rollers in substantial alinement with the partition -7 and center of the inlet 2-, and, therefore, the shearing edges 20-'- and -20 are dis posed in a transverse plane substantially midway between the tooth wheels 15 so that if any attempt is made to withdraw a ticket after being engaged by the tooth wheels both parts thereof will be more or less mutilated, and, therefore, canceled or at leastshowing that the ticket has been withdrawn and preventing its reuse without detection.

These primary and secondary feeding rollers are driven in the direction indicated by the arrows Figs. 2 and 5, by means of an electric motor 22 and a train of gears -23 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4:, the motor -22 being secured to and upon the partition 3 as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, and by full lines in Fig. 3.

The primary and secondary feeding rollers are necessarily spaced at least a short distance apart but suficiently close to permit each ticket to be engaged by the secondary feeding rollers before leaving the primary feeding rollers, and in order that the tickets may be properly registered with the secondary feeding rollers while in transit thereto from the primary rollers, I have provided a horizontal guide -24L- extending between the two sets of feeding rollers which also enables the tickets to be severed along the desired lines preparatory to depositing them in their respective conduits 6 and 6 and thence into their respective drawers 8 and 9-.

The electric motor and feeding rollers driven thereby are operated continuously during the period of receiving tickets, and it, therefore, follows immediately upon the insertion of a ticket through the inlet 2, it will be advanced by the primary rollers through the guide 24-, and to the secondary rollers by which latter it will be further advanced and cut into two parts which fall through their respective conduits into the corresponding drawers 8 and -9-, thereby, not only preventing the resale or reuse of the tickets but also enabling dividing the ticket into parts in transit from said inlet, and separate receivers for the different parts.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of April, 1919.

WILLIAM J. HARVIE.

Witnesses:

ELINOR T. PALMER, LAWRENCE E. LIPPITT. 

